CMT Volunteer R&D
Chicago Community
About
The Chicago Community serves as the central hub for CMT Association members in the Midwest, a global center for derivatives, commodities, and risk management. This active group brings together a diverse range of practitioners, from floor traders to quantitative analysts. Chicago was recognized as a key financial center by our Association’s founders from the very beginning7. In our early years, we invited academics like Professor James H. Lorie of the University of Chicago to speak at our meetings8. The city’s history as the birthplace of financial futures makes it a natural home for technical analysis.
Mission
The mission of the Chicago Community is to provide a specialized, elite platform for education and networking that directly reflects the city’s global leadership in derivatives, futures, and systematic trading. We host targeted events focused on futures, options, and rules-based strategies, ensuring our content is relevant to the institutional expertise of the local industry. We value systematic trading, intellectual rigor, and institutional connectivity. By connecting members with local experts and the massive institutional infrastructure of Chicago’s exchanges, the community helps practitioners deepen their knowledge in complex, quantitative market analysis and apply the Chartered Market Technician® (CMT) principles to cutting-edge trading strategies.
Media
Leadership & Support
Core Responsibilities
Build a strong local culture of learning and inclusion through regular, in-person engagement for members in a specific city or area.
Champion outreach to local universities and employers to grow awareness of technical analysis and the CMT Program in the local market.
Maintain a healthy, self-governed volunteer group that delivers reliable programming and reports into the Chapter as needed.
Call to Service
Understanding Groups and Gigs
What is a Group?
A Group is an ongoing, strategic body of volunteers who collaborate on a defined mission over an extended period. Groups have formal governance, defined membership, and regular meeting cadences. Joining a group means becoming part of a team committed to driving long-term impact within CMT.
What is a Gig?
A Gig is a short-term, tactical assignment with a clear deliverable and timeline. Gigs are ideal for volunteers who want to contribute their expertise to a specific task without a long-term commitment. They are time-boxed and goal-oriented.
(How to Join This Group)
| Group | |
|---|---|
| Ideal Candidate |
Eligible CMT Journey Stages
Leads: Active Professional Member or Affiliate Member; Volunteers: Active Candidate L2+
Key Competencies
Local convening; event execution; CRM basics
Suggested Career Age & TA Depth
3+ years experience; 1–3 years TA |
| What You'll Do |
Core Activities
Host quarterly Community meetings and networking events, including thematic inclusion-focused sessions tailored to the local audience. Organize and deliver outreach visits, talks, or collaborations with local universities and employers to encourage rigorous technical analysis education and practice. Welcome new members at events and maintain active local communication channels (mailing lists, chats, or social media) to keep members engaged. Hire and onboard Community volunteers, assign roles for events and outreach, and conduct regular volunteer group meetings to track plans and progress. |
| Time Commitment |
Recommended Time Commitment & Cadence
Community leaders should expect a commitment of 4–8 hours per month. This includes a 1-hour monthly planning meeting, plus time for venue coordination, local member outreach, and social media engagement. During months with major local events, this commitment may increase to 10–12 hours.
Communities are expected to convene their leadership groups at least six to eight times per year. While the formal requirement is bi-monthly, most successful communities meet monthly to plan local networking mixers, technical talks, and candidate study sessions.
Member Appointment & Term
BYLAWS §8.02(E): The members of the committee shall be appointed by the committee chair with the approval of the Board to serve for a term of one (1) year or such longer period as the Board may determine, provided that no individual shall serve as a member of a committee (including anytime as committee chair) for more than four (4) consecutive years.
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Available short-term assignments will be listed here.